It's the topic on everyone's mind: Are Generation Z workers? Strictly speaking different?

That's what TechCrunch wanted to find out at this year's Disrupt 2024. We sat down with Heather Doshay of SignalFire, Roger Lee of Comprehensive.io, and Lauren Illovsky of CapitalG to talk about how to hire and retain talent. One topic that came up was how different younger workers are from their older colleagues.

“It was the same with Millennials, right?” Illovsky asked on stage. “We remember the time when Boomers criticized Millennials, and now Millennials criticized Generation Z. I love Generation Z too. I think there’s an appreciation for how much they push the boundaries and force you to think.”

She said employers could either be upset about this or try to see the world from a different perspective and see how it affects what Generation Z can bring to the table. Doshay noted that this generation has been in the workforce for at least five years, meaning they face a job market impacted by the pandemic, economic uncertainty and mass layoffs in the tech industry.

“So there's a lack of loyalty among Gen Z in the workforce that we're seeing in early data,” Doshay said, pointing out that a report from her company found that Gen Z is 1.1 years old compared to an average of 1.1 years in A job leaves older generations who have spent decades in a company. “It challenges you to do better,” she said. “What can you do to retain these people and keep them there longer?”

At the same time, it is still early, she said. Generation Z’s behavior could evolve over time as the workforce changes with them. “I think it's really important to have that perspective in your workforce and to have a really diverse group of people,” she said. “If your customer base reflects Generation Z, you want to make sure you have that DNA in your workforce.”

Lee said Gen Zers value transparency much more than other generations. These days, young people talk openly about their salaries and post TikToks about being fired. Lee said companies should find ways to be more transparent with their employees, which could set them apart from companies that don't.

Of course, we had to ask about the now-viral video of Keith Rabois talking about not hiring anyone over 30 years old. Without naming names, we talked about the concept of age discrimination and how it actually hurts businesses. Illovsky said companies need to have a workforce of varying ages, which leads to different skill sets. Doshay said older generations tend to be more involved in the workforce and reminded the audience that it is illegal to discriminate based on age. In fact, not hiring people over 30 probably meant most viewers wouldn't hire themselves, she said.

“Besides, since when was 30 the limit?” Lee added jokingly. “I feel a little insulted by this.”